Rotary pill dispenser



1950 I e. c. SPARKS 2,519,156

RQTARY 'PILL DISPENSER Filed Oct. 26, 1949 INV NTO @60 wad/"Z;

. BY I WW Patented Aug. 15, 1950 ES ATENT OFFICE ROTARY PILL DISPENSER George C. Sparks, Chadds Ford, Pa. AppIicationOctober 2c, 1949; Serial No. 123,595

My invention relates to a new and useful rotary pill dispenser and has for one of its objects to construct such a device consisting of a disc having a plurality of cavities or apertures arranged in a circle concentricwith the perimeter of said disc which is rotatably mounted in a collar, said disc and collar being enclosed in a sleeve with a hingedtab and lid to normally cover the apertured portion of the disc while permitting access to the tab and exposureof the cavities, one at a time, as the disc is rotated to allow selective removalof the contents of the cavities.

A device of this kind isparticularly useful as a holder for medicinal preparations in pill or lozenge style often distributed by physicians as samples of a new remedy or any remedy in a new form to introduce the remedy to the patients. Therefore, another object of the invention is to provide a convenient type of package that may be easily carried in a persons pocket or purse and-which limits, the removal of the contents to a single article at one time.

A further object of the inventionis to construct a dispenser comprising'a collar consisting of a panel having a chamber contiguous one edge opening to the exterior of said panel, said chamber holding a rotatable apertured disc having a portion of its perimeter projecting beyond the edge of the collar for manipulation by the user, and an enclosure for the collar and disc, which enclosure has an access opening normally closed by a hinged tab.

A further object of this invention is to so form the chamber that the periphery of the disc will contact the boundary walls of the panel chamber at only a few restricted points.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describe certain forms thereof in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which: a

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the complete package in a closed condition.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view thereof with the hinged lid and tab in partially open ositions.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View thereof through the sleeve in a plane parallel with and just above the upper faces of the collar and rotary disc.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 1 with the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 2.

h 6 Claims. (01.266-56) Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, on a reduced scale showing another and desirable form of disc holding chamber.

In carrying out the invention as herein embodied, 6 represents a disc of fairly thick or heavy cardboard, boxboard or the like, having a plurality of cavities 1 arranged in a circle spaced from and concentric with the perimeter of said disc.

The rotary disc 6 is revolvably mounted in a collar 8 comprised of a boxboard, cardboard or equivalent material panel having a chamber 9 formed therein contiguous one edge, hereinafter referred to as the forward edge, and opening to the exterior of the collar along said edge. The opening of the disc holding chamber permits the imperforate area of the rotary disc surrounding the cavities to project beyond the forward edge of the collar whereby said disc may be readily engaged by a persons fingers to revolve it. The chamber may be of any suitable configuration so long as the disc is confined but loose enough to revolve easily. As shown in Fig. 3, said chamber may be the major segment of a circle although, preferably, it has a number of straight or substantially straight Walls, Fig. 5, to provide a small number of contact points between the disc and the walls of the chamber to reduce friction. The same purpose can be accomplished, for example, by making the chamber triangular in shape or forming the walls of the circular chamber with undulations.

The assembled collar and rotary disc are sub-.

stantially enclosed within a sleeve l0, rectangular in cross section, and composed of a sheet of paper of a width equal to the length of the collar so that the ends of the latter are exposed. The paper sheet is folded with the ends overlapping appreciably and forming a bottom wall H, front and rear side walls l2 and [3, respectively, a top wall M, a short or narrow leaf l5 and a free swinging hinged lid l6 defined relative to said leaf by the fold line H which may be produced by scoring or otherwise weakening the paper sheet and said fold line constitutes the hinge for the lid.

The sleeve [0 is held in place by a suitable fastening device l8, such as a staple, projected through the leaf [5 and top wall I4 and into the collar 8 to the rear of the fold line H and the chamber 9.

In the front side wall H! of the sleeve H3 is formed a slot [9 which aligns with the opening from the chamber 9 and through which a portion of the disc projects for rotation thereof. The

7 2',5i9,1e r. 3 4 to wall 14 of the sleeve has a section thereof 1, in combination with a hinged lid on the sleeve partially severed therefrom to form a hinged to normally cover the tab closed access opening.

tab 20, the hinge of which is defined by the fold 3. A dispenser of the class described comprisline 2|, and an access opening 22 in the circular ing a disc having a plurality of cavities arranged path of travel of the cavities I as the disc is 5 in a circle concentric with the perimeter of said rotated. disc, a collar in which said disc is rotatably The directions for the operation of the dismounted with a portion of said disc projecting penser depicted in Fig. 2 may be delineated on the beyond an edge of said collar, and a sleeve enouter face of the top wall of the sleeve. circling the collar and fixed to the latter to hold In actualpr'actice the disc 6 may be partially 10 thedisc in place, the rim Oi said disc extending cut from the material removed from the panel through a slot in the sleeve, said sleeve having for the formation of the collar chamber 9. As access opening over the path of travel of the the dispenser is usedfor holding and dispensing cavities.

pills or other similar articles, such articles 23 '4; The structure according to claim 3, in commustbe of a size to loosely fit in thecavities and '-.15 blnati9n Wi a hinged tab 0 @1059 the access since said cavities are preferably formed as I opening, and a hinged lid on the sleeve to cover through and through holes the bottom wall I 'salid access opening, and a hinged lid on the the sleeve functions as the bottoms of said cavisleeve to cover said access opening and its ties. closure'tab.

.In operation, when, a person desires to remove 20 5. A rotary dispenser'comp ising a rectangular as of the articles the l'idfft is was; upward coll I'iickidbi pbard-h'ving' aeliarriberxopen "and the tab 26 pulled o'u'tbf 'thea ceesstpeamgz2 at gefof fthec'ollah a-sieeve' Rama and lifted suificiently rto expose "fafd' yjriioved "hotl tl'ie cbll'ar t o angn mntfwitn said accessbpefiingas the disc 6 is rotated. v finally, the dispenser is inverted to allow the "article to drop m its 'cavity arm sinc'ef'ajl l ether cavities "are covered, the articles in such other cavities will not be displaced.

'O'f I do "xiot Wish to be limited to exactfbletails of construction herein s own] we 'desci-ib d 'astlie's'einay be varied withinthe scope of the ppended claims without departing from 1 A "r" ary pin ciiscens r comprising "a sleeve jh v ngan access opening 11 rniall'y asses-by a 'ged tab iaco arlithe g V V peni'ngf' and a fasten ng means "projected ti'irfongh the "arrow s hd-top'vvallandintothe iollarte secure the iii e f 6." The rotary dispens r acacia-111g to Iaim B wherein the walls of the acsnar havespacec con- 'tactpcihts' for the disc. p

U I *GEGRIGEC. SPARKS. No references-cited. 

